Engine No start & lessons learned

[jacwjames]

So I decided to take the rig for a run and fill up with fuel. I had moved the rig about 3 weeks ago and everything ran fine. I did change the air filter, dryer filter, and did a grease job. Also drained a little fuel out of the filters to check for water and any signs of algae. But I did not start the rig.

Went out today, pulled in the slides, unhooked the sewer, disconnected the power and pulled up the jacks. Went to start the rig and no power to the dash, but the backup camera was on strange!!! So I went to work trying to figure out what might be wrong.

1. First thing I did was make sure the chassis disconnect switch was on, it was. I had one fail about 7 years ago so thought it might the problem again.
2. Since I had been working at the back of the engine I checked the rear start, I had accidently hit the button before so thought that might be the problem. I pressed the rear start function and it the lift pump started to run. Went and checked and I had left the key on. Still wouldn't start from the drivers seat.
3. I knew the ignition switch itself could fail but since the the rear camera would come on and power was going to the jacks I ruled that out. When I would turn the key I could also hear a relay clicking in.
4. I pulled out my multimeter and checked the chassis voltage in the rear electrical bay and also the front drivers side run bay, all were good.
5. I checked all the fuses in the front drivers side run bay, anyone associated with the key & ignition was good. Also swapped out the ignition relay. Tired to start, NO GO.
6. I went to the rear run bay and checked all the transmission and engine fuses, all were good. Tried to start the rig again, NO GO.
7. Since I did change the air filter and dryer filter I checked the top of the engine to make sure I didn't pull any wires loose and around the dryer to make sure anything was amiss. Couldn't find anything wrong there.

At this point I point I was stumped. I thought I was familiar enough with my wiring diagram to check all the likely culprits. I even contemplated coming and posting for suggestions but I decided to start from scratch again. First with the multimeter and then to the rear start area. I decided to toggle it back and forth between front and back and when I pressed it to the front function it clicked into position. Went and checked and it started from the drivers seat.

So the problem was the rear start toggle, when I first checked it I toggled it to the rear and then I thought to the front but it didn't fully engage. It did the second time. If I hadn't checked this a 2nd time I could be in the middle of trying to find a wiring problem still scratching my head.

So lesson learned, step back, take a deep breath, rethink the problem, prioritize the potential causes, and start over.

[Pampero]

Being there done that 😞